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Summary Of Against School By John Gatto

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Recommended: Philosophy of inclusive education

In America, people talk amongst themselves about wealthy and successful people and during the discussion many think of people who have been educated in a traditional schooling system. John Gatto argues in his article “Against School” that this traditional schooling is indeed not necessary to end up educated and successful. Through the use of rhetorical strategies, such as his personal experiences, expert testimony, and anecdotes, Gatto backs up and argues in points. Gatto begins his article by talking about his personal experiences as a teacher and how the education system let him down. Gatto states “The obligations to amuse and instruct myself was entirely my own, and people who didn’t know that were childish people.” With this Gatto experienced …show more content…

Furthering his argument that school isn't needed for success , Gatto states “ George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson were not products of a school system, and none of these men graduated from a secondary school.” Gatto wants the readers to understand that these are well known Americans who are still highly talked about till this day but have succeeded without a 12 year schooling method that we use in this modern day. Gatto brings up an eye opener with these six functions of modern schooling stating “The adjustive or adaptive function. Schools are to establish fixed habits of reaction to authority. It also pretty much destroys the idea that useful or interesting material should be taught, because you can't test for reflexive obedience until you know whether you can make kids learn, and do, foolish and boring things.The integrating function. This might well be called "the conformity function," because its intention is to make children as alike as possible. People who conform are predictable, and this is of great use to those who wish to harness and manipulate a large labor force. The diagnostic and directive function. School is meant to determine each student's proper social role. This is done by logging evidence mathematically and anecdotally on cumulative records. The differentiating function. Once their

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